Lake Forest College senior tailback Al Mitchell was named Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Forester Head Coach Jim Catanzaro the league's Coach of the Year on Wednesday. Teammates Austin Sobey, Will Savor, Jake Rotkvich, Jordan Cruz, and Ed Dobernig joined Mitchell as First Team All-MWC selections and Lake Forest had a league-high 13 players listed overall.
Mitchell finished sixth in the league with 865 rushing yards on the season and scored seven touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 35 passes for 300 yards and three more scores. His 1,165 yards from scrimmage ranked fifth in the conference and second among running backs and his 10 total touchdowns were eighth. Mitchell finished his career with 1,977 rushing yards, the fifth-highest total in program history. He also ranks fifth with 409 carries, eighth with 4.8 yards per attempt, tied-for-fourth with 15 rushing touchdowns, and tied-for-sixth with 19 touchdowns overall.
Sobey, a senior wide receiver, was fourth in the league with 57 catches and third with 845 receiving yards. He moved into third place in program history with 141 receptions in his career and also ranks fourth with 1,932 receiving yards and tied-for-third with 19 touchdown catches.
Savor, a senior, started every game at left tackle for an offensive line that tied for third in the MWC in fewest sacks allowed (13). The Foresters also committed the fewest penalties in the conference and boasted the league's top red zone offense, scoring on 84.8 percent of their opportunities inside the opponent's 20-yardline. The Lake Forest offense ranked among the top four teams in the MWC in passing yards, third-down conversions, and fourth-down conversions.
Rotkvich, a senior defensive end, tied for second in the conference with 7.5 sacks and ranked fourth with 13.5 tackles for loss. He made 44 tackles overall on the season, recovered a fumble, and added a 68-yard interception return touchdown. His sack total matches the seventh-highest mark in team history.
Cruz, a junior inside linebacker, led Lake Forest and tied for 11th in the MWC with 77 tackles. He also forced a pair of fumbles and added a sack, 4.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. He now has 199 tackles, including 17.0 tackles for loss, so far in his career.
Dobernig, a junior cornerback, made 53 tackles on the season. He also forced and recovered two fumbles each and picked off three passes. He has 104 tackles and nine interceptions in his career.
Senior quarterback Pete Scaffidi was the Foresters' only offensive player to be named Second Team All-MWC. He completed 172 of 291 passes (59.1%) for 1,900 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions on the season. He also added 163 and three scores on the ground. Scaffidi finished as the program's all-time leader with 55 passing touchdowns, a 59.8 completion percentage, and a 132.5 quarterback efficiency rating. He also ranks second with 5,514 career passing yards and 478 completions despite making just 23 career starts.
Senior safety Aidan Price, junior linebacker John Dillon, and junior defensive tackle Michael Garetto-Balmer also earned Second Team All-MWC honors. Price was third on the squad and tied-for-22nd in the league with 68 tackles and also recovered four fumbles. Dillon made 54 stops, including 11.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks, and recovered three fumbles. Garetto-Balmer had 28 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles.
Forester junior offensive lineman Tom Mitchell, junior tight end Greg Alonso, and freshman punter Jon Gurchak were Honorable Mention All-MWC selections. Mitchell started every game at center, Alonso caught 11 passes for 153 yards, and Gurchak averaged 34.6 yards per boot and recorded 14 punts inside the opponents' 20-yardline.
Catanzaro was named the MWC Coach of the Year in his fourth season as the Foresters' head coach. He directed the team to an 8-2 overall record, an 8-1 mark in league play, and a share of the program's first conference title in 10 years. Lake Forest was picked to finish sixth in the 11-team league in the MWC Preseason Coaches Poll but rattled off eight straight victories, the longest single-season winning streak in team history, and made a five-game improvement on the previous season's record.
Lake Forest's 13 selections is the team's highest total since 2007 and the six first team distinctions is the most since the 2002 Foresters earned seven. It was also the College's first conference coach of the year award in football since 2002.
